


Confinement

by celeste9



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Injury Recovery, Team Dynamics, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 04:24:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14012124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeste9/pseuds/celeste9
Summary: To his great displeasure, Poe is stuck in the infirmary after a bad crash while Black Squadron takes on a mission.





	Confinement

**Author's Note:**

> For Poe Dameron Appreciation Week Day 1: Black Leader

“Connix,” Poe said into his comlink. “Any update?”

Kaydel sounded the tiniest bit peeved when she answered. “No, Poe, there is no update since the last time you asked, which was…” There was a pause as though she was checking her logs. “Thirty seconds ago.”

“Come on, that’s an exaggeration.”

“You’re right, let me be fair. You hit the minute mark this time.”

“Such cruel and unnecessary sass, Kaydel, I thought you liked me.”

“You’re kind of annoying, to be honest, Commander,” Kaydel said, though her tone sounded fond and amused. “I’ll tell you when there’s an actual update, now leave me alone.”

“Annoying,” Poe repeated to himself. Under the circumstances he felt he was behaving well, really.

Mostly. Sort of. Okay, Poe was a terrible patient, just like Doctor Kalonia said, he could admit it.

Being confined to the infirmary was possibly the worst thing that had ever happened to him. At least, the worst thing in recent memory. He’d been in a bad crash, unable to eject, and came out looking about as bad as his ship.

Hence, he was stuck in bed in the infirmary while his squad went to recover intel without him. He supposed at least he wasn’t in the damn bacta tank anymore.

BB-8 rolled in from the corridor, hopefully bringing more useful information than Kaydel had supplied.

“Buddy! What’ve you got for me?”

The droid, almost apologetically, couldn’t provide Poe with anything more than Kaydel had given him, in spite of having been in the command center. On the bright side, at least that meant Kaydel wasn’t actually holding out on him.

“Thanks anyway, Beebee-Ate,” Poe said, squashing down his disappointment. “I know you tried.”

BB-8 made a mournful-sounding bleep.

This kriffing sucked. His squad wasn’t supposed to run into any serious trouble, but you never knew what might happen, and let’s face it, nothing ever went as smoothly as it was supposed to. Poe hated the idea that they were out there without him, where he couldn’t help, couldn’t have their backs.

His comlink beeped and Poe said into it, “Connix? You got something?”

“They ran into a patrol on their way back,” Kaydel answered, a buzz of noise just evident on her end of the call. “I’ll keep you updated.”

“A what?” Poe exclaimed. “Kaydel! Kaydel, tell me what’s going on!”

There was no response, though, as she likely was focused on monitoring their communications.

“Kriff,” Poe said, and knew he couldn’t sit here doing nothing while his friends were in trouble. He was going straight for the command center, that was what he was doing, where he could be there as it all went down and offer what help he could. If he couldn’t be in a ship, out there alongside them, he was damn well going to assist however he could from this end.

He struggled out of the bed, resigning himself to the fact he was going to have to go barefoot. No time to find shoes.

He had only made it halfway out, legs swung over, when BB-8 shrieked alarmingly in binary, alerting the entire infirmary to Poe’s indiscretion. The nearest med droid brandished its various implements at Poe in what he felt was an unnecessarily threatening manner as Doctor Kalonia came over to admonish him.

“You will get your butt back in that bed, Commander Dameron.”

“But I’m fine, honestly, this is ridiculous, I feel--”

“You burned off a significant percentage of your skin. You need to heal.”

Poe sighed. He knew there wasn’t anything he could really do, but he could do _something,_ he could be in there, supporting them, and at least he would know what they were going through. “But my squad is out there without me.”

Doctor Kalonia’s tightly pressed lips softened a little. “I’m not unsympathetic, but you’ll have to find a bit of trust. They can manage on their own.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“No, it doesn’t. You don’t have to like being in here, either, but you will stay.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Poe said, and admitted defeat. He knew when he was pushed up against an immovable object and Doctor Kalonia was certainly that. He slid fully back into the bed.

Doctor Kalonia afforded him an approving nod. “Good. Beebee-Ate, I’m counting on you to keep him under control.”

BB-8 beeped affirmatively.

“Traitor,” Poe muttered, but the droid remained unrepentant.

Kaydel came through on his comlink again. “Three of five TIEs taken out, Poe. No significant damage to Black Squadron.”

Poe breathed out. “Thanks, Kaydel. If you can get a line out, tell them… Well, tell them I know they know what to do.”

“Will do. I’ll check in soon.”

“What a stupid thing to say, pal,” Poe said to BB-8. “They know what to do. Of fucking course they do, that’s why I picked them for Black Squadron.”

BB-8 chirped that they would appreciate Poe’s support, and Poe sighed.

“Thanks, buddy. I just hate this. I can’t be Black Leader from an infirmary bed while my team is a half dozen systems over.”

_[Partner-Poe never stops being Black Leader. It is your designation.]_

Poe blinked at BB-8, considering, just as Kaydel commed him again to say, “Five for five. Captain Kun wants you to know that when she gets back to base, she’ll be personally checking that your, her words exactly, ass is where it belongs or she’ll chain it there herself.”

Poe laughed, half in genuine amusement and half in relief. “Yeah, she would.”

“They’ve made the jump to hyperspace. I’ll let you know when they’re back in our system.”

“Thanks, Kaydel.”

“My pleasure.” She paused. “Well. Mostly.”

“Sorry. I guess I am kind of annoying.”

“A little,” Kaydel agreed. “But I get it.”

Poe closed his eyes as BB-8 burbled happily. They were all right. He had picked the best, after all, and they didn’t stop being the best even when Poe couldn’t be there. He liked to think they had learned something from him, because he had definitely learned from them.

And maybe BB-8 was right – Poe didn’t stop being Black Leader, either, in a ship or out.

-

Poe must have slept through Kaydel’s comm because when he woke up, it was to a crowd of familiar faces gathered around his infirmary bed.

“He lives!” Karé said. “And I’m impressed; I didn’t even need the chains.”

“Depends on what you’re into, I guess,” Poe said, and Karé smacked him lightly. “Injured here, remember,” Poe protested, as BB-8 whirled in a circle, beeping.

“I’m not hurting him, I swear, Beebee-Ate, he’s just being facetious.”

“When is he not?” Snap asked in a tone that suggested he felt it was a question that needed no reply.

“You guys should be happier to see me recovering,” Poe said, but honestly, he could have kissed them all.

“We sort of thought Doctor Kalonia would have had to drug you to keep you here,” Jess said.

“She nearly did,” Poe admitted. “Have I mentioned I hate being grounded? Also being injured is boring as hell.”

“Honestly bed sounds great right now to me,” Karé said. “No one shooting at you.”

“Try it for more than a few hours at a time. See how you like it then.”

“Eh, still sounds good, I won’t lie.”

“Says the woman who proclaimed herself Black Master because she blew up the most TIEs,” Snap said with a roll of his eyes, while a grin tugged at Karé’s mouth.

“Okay, fine, I love dogfights.”

“Black Master,” Poe mouthed quietly. This was what happened when he wasn’t around.

Jess perched on the edge of Poe’s bed. “My modification worked, Poe. When do you get out of here? I’ll let you have a go in my ship, see what you think.”

BB-8 burst in before Poe could say anything, informing everyone that Poe was confined until absolutely cleared by Doctor Kalonia.

Poe shrugged. “Well, there you go. Beebee is a harsh taskmaster. I would’ve escaped if not for him.”

“Good work, Beebee-Ate,” Karé said, earning an outstretched lighter in the droid’s approximation of a thumb’s up. Or at least, Poe guessed that was what he meant by it. Most of the time.

“We’ll get out of your hair, Poe,” Snap said. “Next time we’ll expect you to clear out the TIEs for us, yeah?”

“Fair’s fair,” Poe agreed. “I could use the target practice.”

“We’ll make sure you’re in front,” Karé promised, ruffling Poe’s hair a little, and he couldn’t even be mad at her. “We’ll even give you corny but well-intentioned advice over comms.”

Poe laughed and thought that he wouldn’t trade his pushy team of adrenaline junkies for anything.

He never stopped being Black Leader, but he couldn’t wait to take that back up into the stars.

**_End_ **


End file.
